You may laugh but I do find it staggering how narrow minded some of you are.

I was captain of my uni football first team in my last year just over a decade a go and after one game we realised we had 11 different nationalities in the starting line up (Eritrea nailing the niche spot). But that team I played in still had pints in the clubhouse/pub after and still drank cans on the train back from away games having the same stupid laddy football banter that every side I’ve ever played for has. That was a collection of people from all over the world but we still got on brilliantly and team spirit was up there in any side I’ve played in.

I find people with your outlook believe that everyone who looks different to you thinks differently too when it’s really quite the opposite. I have far more in common with my old teammates from Sweden, Ghana and Eritrea than I do with a lot of you old Brits on here. Generational difference is far greater than anything else.

So let's say one refused to kneel. Or even worse, perhaps gave a visible indication that he considered the entire nonsense as being shameful. Would you respect his choice then?

D

I love how it’s supposedly ‘simple minded’ but at the heart of it’s being big enough to be able to recognise and accept that we are all different. We don’t all look the same. We don’t all think the same. We don’t all have the same. But it doesn’t matter. Everyone is a human being that deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.

Anyone that can recognise, accept and tolerate this is the opposite of simple minded. Simple minded is fearing difference. Fearing anyone that might not look or think the exact same as you.

Simple minded is booing the young men wearing the colours and flag of their country that they have dreamt of doing since they were small boys and because they dare try to use their profile to make a stand for something they believe in.

Edited by DanH (08 Jun 2021 10.01pm)

Have you ever been racially abused?

Have you ever been racially abused? If not you don’t get to decide to that you are ‘sick of race issues’. The people that are subject to abuse get to decide.

Edited by DanH (08 Jun 2021 11.43pm)

I have been abused many times. It made me stronger.

There is no special sort of abuse. That is another myth.

You’re right in that there’s no special sort of abuse.

However, some is certainly more pervasive than others, and therefore garners more attention. Semantics but ultimately explanatory.

Now if you feel that racist abuse is far less culturally pervasive than other types of abuse and therefore gets focused on far too much and unfairly so, sure, go ahead and make that case

You’re right in that there’s no special sort of abuse.

However, some is certainly more pervasive than others, and therefore garners more attention. Semantics but ultimately explanatory.

Now if you feel that racist abuse is far less culturally pervasive than other types of abuse and therefore gets focused on far too much and unfairly so, sure, go ahead and make that case

I slightly disagree. Abuse for stuff you can’t help (race, ethnicity, physical features etc) is definitely worse than abuse for stuff you can help (i.e. abusing someone else for any of the previously mentioned).

So I take it you don’t hold it against people if they choose to boo then